How to Write New Product Positioning Statements

Whilst the tweet-style ‘stripped concept’ may be the proven and most effective format for writing new product concepts for quantitative testing, how should researchers write new product concepts for qualitative discussion and development – pre-test?

Whilst you can qualitatively pre-screen product concepts in the same format as they will go into quantitative testing – in order to sense check on the two main drivers influencing quant test results (purchase intent and intended purchase frequency), and get feedback on the four qualifiers – desirability, believability, distinctiveness and value – this stripped quant format is missing some essential information that will determine market success.  How the product will be positioned, relative to the competition.

For this reason, it can be useful to qualitatively screen and optimise new product positioning statements as well as product concepts.

So how do you write a new product positioning statement? We like the established textbook formula – precisely because its formulaic nature means all the information is presented in a comparable format – useful for discussion.

For (target consumer or market)…
Who (have a compelling reason to buy)….
Our new product is a (product’s placement within a new or existing category)….
That provides (key benefit that directly addresses the compelling reason to buy)
Unlike (primary alternative source (i.e., competitor) of the same benefit)
Our product (key difference or point of differentiation in relation to the specific target customer)